They say the two best things to cook in a smoker are brisket and pork shoulder. Earlier this year I picked up a Masterbuilt electric smoker and I absolutely love it! I did a couple briskets earlier this year and thought it was time to take a whack at a pork shoulder. Luckily my local grocery store had some on sale so I picked one up. (WARNING: The following picture contains naked meat.)
First things first: Rubb that Chubb! I did a coating all over the shoulder with my All Purpose. After pouring the Rubb on, I worked it into the meat. This bad boy weighed in a little over six-and-a-half pounds. It took about half a jar of the All Purpose to coat. Make sure to work it in on the sides as well.
Next it was time to be sweet to that meat with a little Sweet Malone's! I had about a fourth of a jar left and coated the top with it. Remember that you want to smoke larger cuts of meat with the fat side up, this way that flavor just drips down enhancing every bite you will enjoy!
With your meat properly Rubbed up its time to turn your attention to the smoker. Depending on what kind of smoker you have will determine your set-up routine. This bad-boy is super easy to set. Using the top control center you put in your desired temperature and the time you need to smoke for. For Pork Shoulder you want to smoke between 225-250 degrees from 5-12 hours (depending on how big your meat is and how much time you have).
I like to use an average when it comes to smoking, so I set mine for about 8 hours at 240 degrees. REMEMBER: You want to go off of the internal temperature on your meat when smoking as opposed to an equation. I play it safe with my white meats so I shoot for 195 degrees internally, knowing that the meat will cook about another 10 degrees when you let it sit for an hour or so.
This smoker comes with a built-in meat probe so I just stuck that into the center of the shoulder and would check that temperature every now and then. Usually at times when I needed to add wood chips.
Speaking of wood chips I used a blend: Mesquite, Hickory and Apple. Mesquite has a very strong flavor so I used that one the least. I used about twice as much of the Hickory than I did the Mesquite and about four times as much of the Apple as I did the Hickory.
This smoker does have a water dish that a wise-man told me to fill with more than just water to impart flavor. I used a few squirts of worchestire sauce, soy sauce and red-wine vinegar in with the water and it definitely gave that shoulder a little something extra!
Once the meat was in, it was just a matter of time (hours actually) and selective checking on the chips and temperature before this deliciousness was ready.
Couple things I would like to point out on this smoker that made me get it: It is super easy to build and use. Being electric I do not have to worry about adding any kind of heat fuel to keep the temperature steady. The built-in meat probe is a HUGE plus. The fact that it is on legs helps with use and clean as you won't kill your back. The wheels make it easy to roll in and out of place. AND the viewing window makes the world of difference for me. I am a tinkerer and if I couldn't watch my meat (haha) through the glass I would constantly be opening up the door to check on it. And every time you open the door you would lose smoke and heat. If you are in the market for a smoker, these are some key things y'all should consider. Now back to your regularly scheduled blog:
MMMM... Yup! Don't know about y'all but that is what dreams are made of! Now this was served the following evening at our friend's house for Friendsgiving. So I semi tore/sliced the shoulder apart and put it into the oven at 300 degrees with foil over the top. It sat in there for about two hours just to make sure it was all cooked and was going to be hot for the gathering.
Post your own pictures of Rubbed wonders to our Facebook and remember: Don't Beat Your Meat, Rubb That Chubb!
-Chubbs